From the comments: Readers chime in on the full day versus half day kindergarten debate

GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan — It was proposed at the state level that schools that continue to offer half day kindergarten programs would receive half the per-pupil funding than those who offer full day kindergarten.

One expert described the debate between full day and half day kindergarten a complicated one.

There is no education bashing here. There is no excuse for cutting
funding for kindergarthen simply because kids go half a day. First, a
kindergarten teacher has to have more education and training to be a
kindergarten teacher than for other grades, secondly, kids of
kindergarten age are to young to be held a full school day, thirdly,
many if not most kids of kindergarten age have not had previous out of
home schooling experience. Leave kindergarten alone, leave the funding
intact, it just might be the most important school year of a kids
educational life.

When my son was in half days I felt it was a huge pain in the butt.
And he was just fine and could have done full days with no problem. When
I went to Kindergarten we did whole days and it was awesome!

I had half-day kindergarten and I did perfectly fine in the following
grades. Of course, this was back in 1995 so who knows what kids are
learning or need to be prepared for these days. We definitely didn't
have computers. We had flash cards for words and numbers and story time
with some playtime and nap time in between. The only reason I wanted to
stay for full-day was because they got to eat lunch at school while all
the half-day kids got ready to go home. I don't know...I don't have kids
so I can only comment with personal experience.